How Botox works is that it temporally prevents a muscle from moving. If you cannot move a particular muscle you cannot make the expression that causes a certain wrinkle. It usually takes four to seven days for Botox to start working and the effects tend to last from three to four months. As muscle action gradually returns, the lines and wrinkles begin to re-appear and wrinkles need to be re-treated. The lines and wrinkles often appear less severe with time because the muscles are being trained to relax. As we get older and lose elasticity in the skin, a permanent crease can form leaving a wrinkle that is noticeable even without muscle contraction. Botox does not get rid of these wrinkles, but may help soften them.

When I spotted Frownies on Pinterest I had to check them out. . They are essentially thick pieces of paper with an old school stamp-like adhesive. You wet them, and then stick them on your face in areas you have a wrinkle caused by movement. In the picture, you can see the woman has them in between her eyebrows and on her forehead – typical places you get wrinkles due to making normal facial expressions. Frownies are not moisturizers and they don’t help to fill in wrinkles, nor do they stimulate collagen. They simply prevent you from making the expressions that cause certain wrinkles – exactly like Botox. The advantage to Botox is that it lasts 24 hours a day where you may only wear frownies for about 8 hours a day.

Frownies may mildly improve these expression lines but results would only be temporary and lines would return as soon as you start moving that muscle again.

Introducing our New Happy Hour Lecture Series!

Learn more about different skin conditions and treatments while enjoying happy hour refreshments and special gifts for all attendants

Join us for our first Happy Hour Lecture:

Have you thought about treatment with Botox or Dermal Fillers and just don’t know where to start? Come learn more about the basics of these cosmetic treatments at our Botox and Filler 101 course. This beginner’s guide offers straight talk on the lighter side of cosmetic treatments. Learn about Botox, Dermal Filler and wrinkle erasers to find out which may be right for you and what you should know about them.

The list of competitors to the game leader, Botox, is growing, but are any of the new products actually better? Or are all the new choices just making it more confusing? Botox, Dysport and Xeomin have a lot in common, but they also have some important differences. Unlike its predecessors, Xeomin does not need to be refrigerated. This may be an advantage when it comes to distribution. What’s more, Xeomin is “naked.” There are no additives — just botulinum toxin type A. This may lessen a patient’s likelihood of developing antibodies to Xeomin. When your body senses a foreign invader, it responds by creating antibodies and launching an attack. If this were to occur with a neurotoxin such as botulinum toxin type A, it may not have its desired effects. Xeomin is said to be more like Botox than Dysport. It takes about one week for the full effects of Xeomin injections to be realized, and once this occurs the results last from three to six months.

The Xeomin bottom line?

It works-and it’s probably and option that’s here to stay. Still wondering which of these injectable wrinkle relaxing treatments is better? Our view is that, like Coke vs Pepsi, it’s a matter of personal preference.

Perhaps you’d like to do your own “taste test” and try a Xeomin vs. Botox/Dysport experiment at our Xeomin Launch Party March 16th.

Think Botox injections are only for women? Think again. ABC news is reporting that Botox injections for men are as popular as ever and we agree! We have many Botox patient who are male. The most common complaint I hear from men is that they feel like they look more tired then they actually are. Botox works well for both men and women. Men tend to have stronger muscles in their face and they may require more Botox than women to achieve the same results. As you can see in the pictures below Botox does not feminize his face; the treatment helps soften his wrinkles and allows him to look less angry.

First there was Botox, then came Dysport, and come this spring there will be a third option: Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xeomin in July 2011 for the treatment of severe frown lines or “11’s” between the eyes. Xeomin was already FDA approved for use in adults with cervical dystonia and blepharospasm.

While it’s still unknown how Xeomin will compare to Botox and Dysport, we do know that Xeomin is formulated differently without any additives possibly making it less likely to cause adverse reactions. Xeomin is also the only FDA-approved botulinum toxin that does not require refrigeration.

You’ll have to wait a few more months for Xeomin to be available. As soon as more information is available we’ll be sure to let you know.